


Solemn Eyes

by Tosie



Category: Watchmen - All Media Types
Genre: Crack, Crack and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Kink Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 10:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18386996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tosie/pseuds/Tosie
Summary: This prompt, more or less:https://watchmen-km.dreamwidth.org/287.html?thread=309535#cmt309535Not thoroughly edited, sorry for any typos or inconsistencies!





	Solemn Eyes

The repairs to Archie take several hours, a little longer than he'd expected due to the ice and snow that managed to wedge their way into the seams.Still, the time passes quickly and the work keeps his mind from wandering too much.He's grateful for that.

Dan's lying on his side in the snow, chipping away at the icy shell clinging to Archie's belly, when he feels a presence over his shoulder.He half turns his head to see a pointed orange beak and beady little eyes staring at him.

It's a penguin, standing so close as to nearly be pressed against his back.

Dan stares back.Then he carefully scoots out from under the hull and sits up.

The bird is small, less than two feet tall, and so fluffy it is nearly round.Two ridiculous tufts of orangey feathers sprout like eyebrows above its solemn eyes.

Since when do penguins have solemn eyes?

And since when do they shuffle their feet awkwardly before abruptly extending one flipper forward, almost as if it wants a...

Dan reacts almost automatically, pulling his glove off and grasping the extended limb in a much larger hand.

Neither of them moves for several moments, and Dan is hit with a wave of deja-vu that has him doing a double take.His vision blurs and the bird is just a blob of black and white with a shock of orange hair.He blinks.

The penguin cocks its head a little, questioningly, and the gesture is so familiar it takes his breath away.

In a moment Dan has pulled the creature towards him and swept it into a tight embrace against his chest.

.....

"...and then we didn't get to say goodbye--hell, I barely got to say _hello_ , not face to face I mean--" Dan looks down at the little creature pressed close against his side. "I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry, buddy."

The penguin shakes its head.

Dan smiles, then--"Oh! I've got something for you!" He hauls himself up and hurries around to the door of the airship.There's a hat sitting on the copilot's seat.Dan picks it up gingerly, along with the folded scrap under it.Taking a moment to compose himself, he turns back to face his partner, standing in the doorway.

"These are yours," Dan says hoarsely, clearing his throat a bit nervously.

The penguin only stares at him, and even the blots were never this inscrutable.

A little unsure, Dan takes a couple steps forward and holds out the mask.The bird takes it after a moment, holding the material carefully in its beak and looking down.Then it turns and waddles decisively out the door.

Putting the hat back down, Dan quickly follows. He emerges to see his partner using his flippers and feet to make a small mound of snow.Then the mask is laid on top, smoothed flat and perfectly symmetrical.

Dan approaches quietly and kneels to put his arm around the somber bird.He brushes the mask gently with the knuckles of one hand, where the cheek would be.On its bed of snow, the ink barely reacts at all.

A whisper of wind blows a few icy crystals over the mask.Dan‘s instinct is to brush them away, but the bird doesn’t seem to take any notice so he sits still beside it.

Just as the cold has started seeping into his knees, the penguin leans slightly into his side and looks up meaningfully.Dan meets its gaze and sighs.“...you can’t stay, huh?”He smiles suddenly and hoists himself to his feet.“Hold on one sec...I’ll be right back, buddy.”The penguin watches him duck back into the owlship.

Dan emerges only a moment later, holding up one hand and still grinning lopsidedly.“Here! Thought you might want one more before switching over to fish.”Pinched between thumb and forefinger is a sugar cube.

Penguins can’t smile, but Dan’s been reading his partner’s body language long enough to know he’s looking at one anyway.He unwraps the green paper and tosses the cube gently to his friend, who catches it in his beak with a satisfying _cronch_.In moments, no trace of sugar remains.

Dan kneels again and pulls the bird into a close embrace.“I’m gonna miss you. I don’t know what kind of a world I’m going back to, but I’ll miss you being in it.”The penguin clicks its beak softly.“Okay. I’ll let you go now.”

He stands swiftly, blinking hard, and turns back towards Archie, not wanting to watch his friend fade into the distance.It may just be a trick of the Antarctic wind, but he thinks he hears a noise from behind him; a soft, murmured...

_...hurm._

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on the kinkmeme. This is the first thing I've written/finished in forever, so I'm proud of that, even though it's short and, y'know, weird penguin reincarnation crack.
> 
> Comments appreciated!


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